Justice News

Rutland Man Pleads Guilty To Heroin Conspiracy

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated today that Nicholas Louras, 28, of Rutland, Vermont, has pled guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiring to distribute heroin in the Rutland, Vermont area from November 2013 to March 2014. Louras appeared today before Chief Judge Christina Reiss in United States District Court in Burlington. Judge Reiss accepted the plea of guilty and released Louras on conditions, including that he continue with his drug rehabilitation program.

Judge Reiss scheduled Louras’ sentencing for January 9, 2015 in Burlington. Under the terms of the plea agreement Louras faces a maximum possible term of imprisonment of twenty years but his sentence will ultimately be determined by Judge Reiss after completion of a pre-sentence investigation and report and consideration of the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. At the change-of-plea hearing Louras admitted to trafficking heroin in the Rutland, Vermont area. Louras also admitted that when he was stopped by New York State Police on March 17, 2014 in Albany County, New York with fourteen grams of heroin he was transporting those drugs back to Rutland, Vermont for distribution.

The United States is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Perella and the defendant is represented by Natasha Sen, Esq. This matter was investigated jointly by the Vermont State Police Drug Task Force, the FBI, the DEA, and the New York State Police.